UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson isn’t one to hype a fight, but heading into the second defense of his title, he hopes his opponent will help sell it to the public.

“I don’t think Nate Diaz is going to be a big talker and say a bunch of stuff, but it’s nice to have something the media can latch onto,” Henderson told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

While Henderson’s bottom line won’t necessarily be affected by the number of viewers who watch the bout, he would like to increase his earning power.

“It is something that I am aware of, pay-per-view buys and numbers and all of that stuff,” he said. “The two pay-per-views I was a part of did not do very successfully, as far as comparing them to other numbers – the average numbers.”

Henderson didn’t name the PPV cards, but the two on which he recently fought, UFC 144 and UFC 150, were reportedly far from the buyrate smashes repeatedly seen in 2009 and 2010.

Henderson (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) vs. Diaz (16-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) headlines UFC on FOX 5, which takes place Dec. 8 at Seattle’s KeyArena. The event is the second set to air on FOX that features a title fight. It’s success, of course, will be measured by the number of viewers who tune into the free broadcast. The UFC has failed to match the ratings of its network debut, UFC on FOX 1, which took place a year ago and featured a heavyweight title bout between then-champ Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. Officials hope topping UFC on FOX 5 with another title fight will bolster viewership.

Henderson, who co-headlined UFC on FOX 1 opposite Clay Guida and yet did not see airtime, is aware that he’s fighting not only to sell future PPVs but potentially introduce new fans to the sport.

However, Diaz’s reputation as a forward-moving, bird-flipping fighter can hardly hurt for promoting the bout, and by extension, Henderson. The 28-year-old champ sees the benefit of hype, being an avid fan of onetime middleweight title challenger and current light-heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen, who was recently named one of the top-five PPV draws in the company.

“He knows it’s a promotional game,” Henderson said of Sonnen. “He is of average speed, average athletic-wise, white guy, average-looking, and he wrestles guys. He holds guys down – that’s his game. Who wants to see that? That’s not a super-marketable (style). But as soon as he starts talking, he’s very marketable. And he knows that.”

Henderson, though, doesn’t want to play the same game. Instead, he wants to do his entertaining in the cage. A thrilling bout with Diaz will be a job well done.

“You have to be entertaining and have a few tricks up your sleeves, (to where people say), ‘Oh wow, what was that?'” Henderson said. “A few entertaining tricks, and hopefully you pull them off.”

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